The Kennedys (2011)
The story of the most fabled political family in American history, told in a manner similar to The Godfather: a manipulative, egocentric father determined to live out his own ambitions through his sons, who in turn spent their lives dancing to his tune while at the same time trying to stand on their own. This is history through personality - the tangled relationships through which paint a picture of one of the most turbulent periods of the modern age. Viewers will be upstairs at the White House, not in the Cabinet Room. Through iconic events in history - the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the civil rights struggle, the mob connection - viewers will learn about the lesser known, yet critical personal stories.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Reviews
I love this mini-series because it shows young people today a small snap shot of this famous America family. I realize it is not totally historically accurate - that is what documentaries are for, but for the most part it is very accurate. And hopefully viewers will be inspired to watch historical documentaries on each of these characters and historical events that spark their interest as a result of watching the mini series. For me, I loved how this shows the emotions, relationships, and personalities of the these amazing people. I wish it had been permitted to air on a more prominent network so that it would be exposed to more viewers. As a teacher, I plan on using a small clip from the protest scenes at Ole Miss, to show my students what life was like in the south back then for people of color; and how the President had to send in the National Guard to assist that young man to get into college. And then point out that same presidents daughter, Caroline, was with Barrack Obama in 2008 to celebrate when the first black man was elected to President of the United States.
I did not find this title very entertaining, but I did find it informative. It was interesting to me being able to see what I've learned in class acted out on screen in such a way. I can conclude that the goal of this television show wasn't to entertain but to inform, and I believe that it carried out its' purpose. Kennedy was always one of my favorite presidents but seeing this period in his life versus reading it or hearing it was a good experience for me. It probably also wouldn't be my first choice of something to watch on a Friday Night, but it is useful for those who are trying to get more information on Kennedy and his administration.
just a little remark:you would think that with millions of Russians that live abroad, especially in the USA & Canada where this TV series was filmed & produced, & the historic reference to the cold war between the USA & USSR, the makers would put in a bit more effort into making the dialogs real & believable. i'm not speaking of the obvious & heavy accent of Khrushev, when he speaks to JFK in the 6th episode, which makes it hard to understand even to a native speaker (like me).i'm referring to the absolutely false translation of JFK's question. he said: you just lost 20 million people in the war. the translation to Russian is: today, only in the first part of the war will be more than double casualties.i mean, com'on! do a serious job, not only an historical research, pay attention to the language!
I have always been fascinated with the Kennedy family & over the years have read & seen so much about them. This series was wonderful - very entertaining & extremely well written. A lot has been said about the acting & I too was watching with a critical eye. I have to say the acting was excellent! I found myself totally engrossed in watching the story line which of course I know so well. I was captivated by how each & every actor was able to portray such a likeness to their real life character. This was indeed enhanced by the stupendous job by the make-up & costume department! Katie Holmes in particular had an extremely difficult role to play, but what an amazing job she did! I truly enjoyed this fabulous series!